You Me At Six – Cavalier Youth

You Me At Six, the English born and bred rock pop ensemble are fresh from promoting their fourth album, Cavalier Youth. Following their third album Sinners Never Sleep in 2011, their fans have been readily awaiting their return to the studio.

The album begins with Too Young to Feel This Old, and it’s the familiar loud guitar intro to quiet drums and vocals routine that is a seemingly recurring pattern with most pop punk of the 21st century. It’s easy to listen to – strophic, uncomplicated, and unsurprisingly so is the rest of the album.

Heart of Mine is a darker, grittier piece of work, with edgy piano, thick guitar – standing out from the majority of its jovial, though slightly repetitive counterparts. Forgive and Forget is the literal definition of the pop punk genre; it’s one of those numbers you hear for the first time and swear you’ve heard it 20 times before. The chorus is a loud, emotive bellow from lead Josh Franceschi, and as the album progresses into the fifth track, it’s evident that the album is more a divide between crowd-pleasing anthems and angsty ballads.

Cold Night is an almost carbon copy of the first few songs from the album. Same build, drop and strung out chorus. The album is neither above nor below par at this halfway point – it hasn’t strayed from the band’s signature sound, emulating the same feel of their previous albums. As if the band could sense the dip in momentum, Hope for the Best is an up-tempo, punchy resurface from the somewhat monotonous first half of the album. Guitars are the right end of ringing, and the snares are an enlivening slap in the face – arguably the pinnacle of the record overall.

A brief interlude of dulcet love song Be Who You Are is a short – and adorably sweet – acoustic guitar and rolling snare mix and the album pace is slower now. Penultimate track of the album, lighters-in-the-air type, Wild Ones is a languid walking bass and emphasised vocals record. In relation to the closing song, Wild Ones is the calm before the adrenaline pumping storm that is Champagne Wishes, which rounds off the (relatively manageable) roller coaster of this You Me At Six hit.

Hannah Ross

Cavalier Youth was released on 26th January 2014, for further information or to buy the album visit here.

Watch the trailer for You Me At Six’s latest film project Oceans Away here: